Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies The Graduation Ceremony The graduation ceremony, interesting and exciting to watch, originated in the Middle Ages and carries on the traditions and continuity of academic symbols from that period, roughly between 400 and 1500 C.E.. This span of history, beginning with the fall of the Roman Empire, was the catalyst for extraordinary changes that literally shaped societies and laid the foundations for our world today. The university is one such innovation. Universities (from Latin universitas, “the whole, the total”) first formed in the 12th and 13th centuries with the earliest graduation ceremony held in the 12th century and patterned after the ceremonies of scholastic monks. The ceremony was known as an “inception” (acceptance into mastership) with graduates known as “inceptors”. The diploma evolved from the license that was bestowed upon the recipient granting the right to teach. Upon inception, the inceptor was formally admit- ted into the mastership and inducted into the mas- ters’ guild. Formal admission into the guild was signified by having a cap placed upon the inceptor’s head (a symbol of the master’s status) and receiv- ing the insignia of office, a ring and an open book. During the 13th century, the system of degrees evolved within the existing universities in Italy, Portugal, Spain, France, and then England, with three comparable degrees—Scholar, Bachelor, and Master (or Doctor or Professor)—at all uni- versities. These degrees are very similar to to- day’s degrees: Bachelor, Master, and Doctorate. Academic Dress Academic dress displays both secular and ecclesiastical influences and originally served a dis- tinctly practical purpose: to keep students and faculty warm in the cold buildings of the Middle Ages. The first school to formally require the wearing of robes was the University of Coimbra in Portugal in 1321. In the earlier days, the masters and scholars, particularly in the more minor Or- ders, wore the drab, plain garb termed a vestimentum clausum (closed vestment or dress); however, nothing distinguished the secular “clerk” from the laity of all classes. In 1222, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton, at the Council of Oxford ordered clerks in England to wear the cappa clausa (closed cloak) as the accepted form of outdoor dress. The clergy gradually stopped wear- ing the closed cloak, but academics did not. This eventually led to its being regarded as purely aca- demic dress. During 1500s, academic dress moved from the more formal to a simpler and thereby com- fortable dress, leaving the closed dress garments behind in favor of the sleeved tunica. During this evolution, academic dress followed the lay fashion of having the garment open in front with an em- broidered bag sleeve or bell sleeve at thigh-length. The Traditional Cap & Gown Oxford University held the first baccalaureate -cer emony in 1432 and required students to wear robes for the occasion. It later required them to wear a cap (a mortarboard) as well. The square shape of the mortarboard has changed little since then. It sug- gests the hawk, or board for caring masonry mor- tar, that was used by a master worksman; on the other hand, the cap’s square shape may have been intended to represent an open book, which would give its wearer a more scholarly appearance. The mortarboard gained popularity through its use at Oxford University and is some- times called the “Oxford cap.” Depending upon the level of matriculation, a cap or mortarboard, tam or bonnet is worn. The tam is the softer version of the mor- tar board; the bonnet is most often worn by students receiving a doctoral degree. Hoods The exact origin of the academic hood is not completely documented. Some believe it was strictly practical, se- cured to the gown, for the purpose of protecting stu- dents and faculty from the cold. Some argue that the hood dates back to the Celts and their Druid priests who wore capes with hoods to symbolize their superiority; the Druids were considered the scholars of their day, pos- sessing superior knowledge of the sciences and nature. By 1592, the “shoulder piece” (the attached hood and garment that covered the head, neck, shoulders and up- per arms) began to evolve into a an elongated scarf made from long strips of colored fabric draped over the shoulders and down the back; dif- ferent colors were and are still used today to denote the student’s area of study. Tassels The early graduation caps in Oxford, Cambridge, and oth- er European universities had a tuft in the center. That tuft has evolved in to today’s tassel. The tradition of “turning the tas- sel,” moving the tassel from right to the left, signifies that the stu- dent has graduated and is moving on to the next phase of life. Diploma Originally, diplomas were made from paper-thin sheepskin, hand-written, rolled, and tied with arib- bon. Around the 1900s, diplomas were made of paper as paper making techniques improved. The early di- plomas were rolled up, but by the turn of the 20th cen- tury, they started to be given out flat in leather binders. Ceremonial Mace The ceremonial mace leads the academic procession at commencement as well as other special ceremonial occasions. The use of a mace dates back to the 11th century when it was carried before or placed near a magistrate or oth- er dignitary as a sign of authority. For the commencement ceremony, it signi- fies the ceremony as one of dignity and importance of what is about to occur. Gonfalons The gonfalon is a banner or flag that hangs from a crosspiece or frame, and it originat- ed in the medieval republics of Italy as an insignia of state or office. Each college’s gonfalon is carried at the head of the pro- cession to identify the particular college. References If you are interested in learning more about the origins and evolution of academic dress, consult these references: • Cox, Noel (Hons) ) MA PhD GradDipTertTchg FRHistS FBS, Barrister of the High Court of New Zealand, Professor of Law, and Discipline Chairman of Law, Faculty of Business, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. Excerpt from “Academical Dress in New Zealand”, Chap 3: Early Academical Dress. 2000 • Hargreaves-Mawdsley, W.N. A History of Academical Dress in Europe Until the End of the Eighteenth Century Oxford University Press 1963 Reprinted Greenwood Press, Inc., Westport, Connecticut 1978 • Haskins, Charles Homer. The Rise of Universities. Cornell University Press 1970 • Lunce, Dr. Stephen E. C.C.P. , Associate Professor of Information Systems “Academic Costumes and Regalia: A Brief History and Chronology” < http://graduation.tamu.edu/history.html> For Parents “By far the largest element in the correspondence of medieval students consists of requests for money; ‘a student’s first song is a demand for money,’ says a wearyfa- ther in a 14th-century Italian letter, ‘and there will never be a letter which does not ask for cash.’ ” From Charles Homer Haskins, The Rise of the Universities (1923). Why Study the Past? “Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is ab- solute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improve- ment: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. “ From George Santayana, The Life of Reason (1905-6).

How past civilizations handled the challenges of disease, societal upheavals, class distinctions, climate changes are all part of our common “Human” experience, regardless of the century. Study of our past is the best means to avoid di- sastrous, unproductive mistakes; by examin- ing these societies we significantly increase our chances to create better solutions for our world today. Without knowing where we have been, we cannot begin to plan for a safe, secure future. About ACMRS The Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (ACMRS) is widely regarded as one of the top centers in the world and is affiliated with the prestigious Cambridge and Oxford Universities in England. Established in 1981 by the Arizona Board of Regents, ACMRS brings professors, scholars, lecturers and researchers from all three universi- ties, Arizona State University, University of Arizona, and Northern Arizona University together through its highly diverse programs to benefit students, the academic commu- nity, and the general public. ACMRS bridges the gap between the world of academics and the general public. In addition to its academic and scholarly programs, ACMRS provides programs for those who do not have a degree or academic background in me- dieval or renaissance studies but are interested in learning about and discussing this pe- riod of history, 400 – 1700 AD in an informal setting. Please visit us at: http://acmrs.org